Gaps in the Draft of the Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality Policy in Sierra Leone

Resumen o Introducción

In this essay the author gives a critical synopsis of the gaps in the latest draft of the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Policy (WEGE) of Sierra Leona.

The author identifies low/weak budgetary allocations, weak/non-existent structures for its implementation and the pervading cultural and social barriers that consider women and girls as inferior to men and boys, as key constraints affecting the realization of gender equality plans and policies. The author proposes that the WEGE policy, if endorsed and supported as intended, will help address these and other barriers and enhance the attainment of gender equality results in all sectors in Sierra Leone. The WEGE policy is also expected to pave the way for a Gender Equality Bill to be passed into law in the immediate future.

The 2015 draft of the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Policy has five parts covering the gender and development context in Sierra Leone; the policy context and legal frameworks related to gender; the WEGE policy rational and objectives; implementation and operational framework; forward looking short, medium and long term strategies. It proposes to be a policy framework to guide in the setting of standards for national and international actors towards attaining gender equality in the country.